Quotable Country – 03/12/12 Edition

March 12, 2012 by C.M. Wilcox

Click the bullet after each quote to visit the source.

It feels to me like now would be the perfect time to make an album. They wouldn’t even have to say, “Forgive us.” They could just be their own fascinating, funny, ultra-musical selves and do a record they are proud of and love. I think it would be an interesting way to turn a fresh page. I know a lot of people who miss them and wish they were back on the scene. ●– – Adele producer (slash former Semisonic singer slash co-writer of “Not Ready to Make Nice”) Dan Wilson thinks the time is right for the return of the Dixie Chicks.

Melissa Rycroft, a popular contestant on Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor, will star with husband Tye Strickland in the new CMT series, Melissa & Tye, debuting April 20 at 9 p.m. […] Melissa & Tye is produced by Ryan Seacrest Productions. ●– – Pretty much everything you need to know about CMT programming.

I’ve always been a little put off by the idea that you need a reason to be nice to people. I’m just going to be fair with people, not because I’m afraid of what’s going to happen to me if I don’t, and not because I’m going to get good luck if I do. But because it’s right. I’m rooting for God as much as the next guy. I can’t think of anything I’d rather do than go to heaven with my wife and just sit there forever, but I’m not going to ignore logic or base my life on superstition, especially when it becomes something that’s going to impact another person. ●– – Todd Snider, making a lot of sense. His new album is Agnostic Hymns & Stoner Fables.

What a way to go. Tim McGraw’s “Please Remember Me” is the new American Idol elimination song, and I can’t think of a better piece of buh-bye music. Especially since season 10 winner Scotty McCreery will be doing the singing. ●– – It figures that Alison Bonaguro would be excited about Scotty McCreery killing a Rodney Crowell song. Rest in peace, “Please Remember Me.”

Q: Historically, where did brokers get tickets?
A: People at the record store, the box office, the promoter’s office, the low-paid people. There must be somewhere where there’s legit people in those jobs, but why would they be? They don’t get paid a lot, and it’s there for the taking. If you don’t take it, somebody else will. ●– – Unnamed ticket reseller, in an interview with Billboard.

one of my favorite songs I’ve ever been a part of in my life ●– – Craig Morgan on “Corn Star.” I think he might be too far gone to save.

But I have kids come up to me all the time asking, “How’d you do it” or “What do you recommend?” I say, “Let me give this to you first: I was 35 when I had my first hit. Do you want to do that?” Because they’re usually 16 or 17 and they say, “Oh no, man!” Here’s my advice: Get something to fall back on and fall back on it right now! Don’t do it! It is so hard. It’s brutal! Brutal is a great word. You have to give up a lot. ●– – Neal McCoy does not encourage you to pursue a career in music.

My publisher Rusty Gaston called me one day, and said, ‘Man, you and Dallas and Rhett need to write a song — either about or have it in the title — about get your hands up.’ He said all these pop songs and rap songs are doing that these days, and everyone who does it is going No. 1. It’s just a celebration of a good time. ●– – Peach Picker Ben Hayslip on the genesis of “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” lately a hit for Luke Bryan.

You feel very honored. But at the same time there’s this kind of guilt or, I don’t know what it is, a kind of embarrassment, so you feel uneasy because I wouldn’t be standing here today talking to you if it wasn’t for Randy Travis. I wouldn’t be standing here talking to you today if it wasn’t for Ricky Skaggs, Keith Whitley, Steve Wariner, these guys. … I think eventually they will get in, but it probably should’ve been before Garth Brooks came in. That’s the whole feeling for the day. ●– – Garth Brooks on being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

I think it’s bullshit. The whole alt-country thing is bullshit. I think whoever thought of that needs to be hung up by his thumbs. ●– – Wayne Hancock is no great fan of alt-country as a genre description.

I didn’t know what ‘alternative’ country music people did, or how they traveled. I saw Buddy Miller one night, (and) I said, ‘You make a living doing this?’ And he said, ‘yeah.’ … But, you know, they can sleep on a couch or whatever. It sort of gave me the impression that they were sort of gypsy-like in a way. But they’re way further into music than the average person you see who’s sort of industrialized and organized and institutionalized and incorporated, which is the way some of Nashville is today. ●– – As best as Tom T. Hall can tell, alt-country artists are kind of like music-obsessed homeless people. Close enough?

Me. ●– – John Paul White, deadpan, on what it is about The Civil Wars that has struck such a chord with listeners.

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Comments

I couldn’t disagree more with Ditzy Twits producer Dan Wilson about their return to the mainstream marketplace. Maybe the fact he contributed to the song “Not Ready To Make Nice”, thereby exposing himself as a liberal ignoramus extremus, may have something to do with it…

I think Todd Snider makes the most sense to people who either: A.) smoke a lot of pot, B.) consider Christianity and Judaism to be superstitions, and C.) vote for Obama and other pathetic democrat excuses for politicians. Most likely its all of the above, Sorry Todd, I just don’t give a sh*t what you have to say about anything, not even the Ditzy Twits.

I heartily agree with Garth Brooks’ statement about the artists who were the driving forces of the New Traditionalist movement in mainstream country in the mid 1980’s deserving to be in the CMHOF before Garth! In fact I would leave Garth out of the equation entirely.

I could understand why Wayne Hancock would be personally offended at being labeled either “Alt. Country” or “Americana” as he is about as country as an artist can get. Its just a shame so called “Country Radio” of the Top 40 AirHead variety marginalizes true hard core country artists to the point they seek refuge in the Americana realm (and XM/Sirius) where they can at least garner some airplay.

I think Tom T. Hall is onto something! Every time I see a picture of Buddy Miller he looks like he’s just crawled out of an old VW Microbus or rolled off the futon at a hippie crash pad ! (either that or from under a rock…)

That Garth Brooks quote was very interesting. It’s very humble and respectable of him to acknowledge the artists who influenced him, but have yet to receive the honor of Hall of Fame membership, especially since Randy Travis and Ricky Skaggs in particular are often mentioned as ones deserving of induction.

CMT just needs to change their name. That’s all.

I actually think I would enjoy hearing about the inspiration behind all those forgettable Peach Pickers songs. Sometimes I just find it borderline hilarious. The above quote definitely makes no bones about the fact that the song was written for the sole purpose of becoming a radio hit.

I definitely agree with Dan Wilson here. Count me among those who miss the Dixie Chicks, and are eager for their return. They’ve always brought so much freshness and originality to the music scene, and I love how you never know what kind of album you’re going to get from them, but that it’s probably going to be something great. I couldn’t be more excited at the prospect of a new album from them. I think the time was “right” a long time ago

Count me in the crowd who wants to hear new music from the Dixie Chicks. I hear their old stuff more and more on the local radio stations, who avoided them for years, so hopefully the time is getting close. But regardless of radio play or no, or what station it would get played on, I would buy their music.